IND vs AUS: Jadeja’s seven-for and other key moments from Delhi Test

Australia had dished out a markedly improved performance, both with bat and ball, in the first two days of the second Test against India after suffering an innings defeat in Nagpur, raising hopes of a series-leveling win and keeping their hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy alive.

As is the case with the long-format, one session can often decide the outcome of a Test. Though Australia were on top for the most part in the first two days, it took one horror morning session on Sunday for them to collapse to yet another defeat inside three days, with the trophy once again slipping out of their grasp.

Watch: Rohit, Dravid celebrate India’s win; Twitter reacts

The Australian team had been beset with problems from the outset of the tour, with key players such as pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood as well as all-rounder Cameron Green missing out due to injury. And the manner in which the Aussies, whose only Test series triumph on Indian soil in the last five decades came in the 2004-05 tour, surrendered at Nagpur and Delhi will only have made the dressing room gloomier.

Also Read: India a step away from WTC Final after victory over Australia in Delhi

With the second Test coming to an end, we take a look at some of the key moments/phases:

Pujara completes a milestone

Cheteshwar Pujara entered an elite club on Friday, becoming the 13th Indian cricketer to complete 100 Test appearances. The Indian Test No 3 received a special cap from Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar ahead of the start of Day 1, as well as plaques from DDCA president Rohan Jaitley and BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

Though Pujara could not make the occasion even more special by scoring a hundred in his 100th Test — a feat that has been achieved only by 10 individuals in the history of the sport — the 35-year-old did get the honour of hitting the winning runs on the third day with a boundary off Todd Murphy’s bowling, remaining unbeaten on 31 in the process.

Lyon stands tall with a five-for

A was expected from Nathan Lyon ahead of the Test series, with the veteran Australian off-spinner expected to thrive on the turning Indian wickets. While Lyon had a relatively quiet outing in Nagpur, where he managed just one wicket in the entire match, he broke the backbone of the Indian batting order on the second day in Delhi to collect his 22nd Test five-for and reduce the hosts to 139/7, giving the Aussies hope of collecting a sizeable first innings lead.

Axar-Ashwin stand

As was the case in Nagpur, it was the lower order that once again came to India’s rescue, with Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin stitching a 114-run eighth wicket stand that took India within touching distance of the Australian total.

Axar, who has since credited conversations with Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting as well as a change in mindset for his improvement as a batter, led the way with a 115-ball 74 while Ashwin provided valuable support with his patient 37. Thanks to their stand, India ended up reducing the deficit to just 1.

Jadeja blows the Aussies away

Jadeja has been the standout performer of the series so far by a fair distance, made all the more impressive by the fact that he’s just made his international comeback after being relegated to the sidelines for nearly six months with a knee surgery.

After sharing a valuable 59-run stand with Virat Kohli on Day 2, Jadeja spun a web around the Aussies on Sunday morning, returning with his career-best haul of 7/42 as Australia were bundled out for 113 in one horror session, leaving India just 115 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rahul’s misery with bat continues

The clamour to drop KL Rahul from the XI however, only grew louder after the under-fire opener produced scores of 17 and 1 in the second Test, hardly an improvement from his outing in Nagpur where he managed just 20. Rahul’s dismissal on Day 3 was an unlucky one as he ended up getting caught by keeper Alex Carey after a deflection off Peter Handscomb’s pad at short leg.

Also Read: KL Rahul’s long rope is dwindling

What has made the situation even more complicated for the Indian vice-captain is the fact that the talented Shubman Gill, who has had a stellar run in the white-ball formats and even scored a Test century in Bangladesh, is waiting in the wings and is seen as a better pick for Rohit’s partner.

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